As part of the yearly public engagement with Australians, for the fifth consecutive year Australian Eggs is asking the public to take part in a large-scale research study to inform a national conversation about the future of the egg industry. Australians consume over 17 million eggs each day, so it’s important for the industry and egg farmers to understand and respond to the community’s opinions on the things that matter to them.
The research is being conducted by engagement science company Voconiq, which was spun out of Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO. The research will explore community attitudes towards the egg industry across a broad range of topics, including food security, biosecurity, traceability, animal welfare and environmental impacts.
Dr Kieren Moffat, Voconiq CEO, said this fifth year of research will build on the previous findings from 2018 to 2021, to examine and understand the community’s changing views and priorities, and provide a solid indication of the public’s trust in the Australian egg industry.
“More than 33,000 Australians have contributed to this research program over the past four years, providing a deeper understanding on what the community values in and from the egg industry,” Dr Moffat said.
“Sustainability is a major issue globally and it is important that the egg industry remains focused on how it fits into this growing movement. The research program has always been linked to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and in 2022 we will be working to draw these links out more explicitly in the context of egg production.”
“We encourage Australians who want to have a voice on issues related to the egg industry to take part in the public open survey, as the data collected will be shared with Australian Eggs to shape their agenda and priorities over the coming years.”
Managing Director of Australian Eggs, Rowan McMonnies, said the community’s insights are instrumental in helping shape industry plans.
“Each year, these survey results allow us to pause and see the industry through the community’s eyes. The results act as an indication as to what we need to consider internally, and then integrate into our industry plans.
“This year-on-year survey acts as an effective call and response between us as an industry and the public, continuing to drive transparency and trust which is demonstrated through the delivery of tangible outputs and solutions to significant issues like hen welfare, biosecurity, food safety and environmental sustainability,” said Mr McMonnies.
“Just recently, we have supported UTS researchers in the development of a world-leading artificial intelligence-based system to monitor the movement and behaviour of cage-free hens to improve their health and welfare and minimise dangers.
“Further to this, we are continuing to work towards improving efficiencies and practices to move the industry towards carbon minimisation by way of our Sustainability Dashboard and improve farm biosecurity practices and food safety through our Biosecurity Virtual Reality Tool.”
“The data output from the public’s participation in this survey is invaluable. It allows us to continue to meet and exceed the public’s standards of our industry year on year and align with industry standards globally,” said Mr McMonnies.
The research is the fifth annual cycle of community engagement to inform the Australian Eggs Sustainability Framework.
To participate in the research, go to https://voconiq.com/eggs.
The survey closes on Monday 20 June 2022.
